Automobile majors are looking for alternatives to traditional car sales to generate additional income and are betting on technology to provide additional services to customers.
The transformation the automobile industry is experiencing represents a shift from traditional combustion engines to electric or zero-emission engines. Car brands are also facing a reshaping of their own business.In car sales, many people bet Technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Connectivity To provide services that allow its customers to maintain income and profitability in the future.
This change in the business model has led big brands to enter areas unknown until recently, such as the development of software or platforms that allow them to generate higher returns than the traditional sale of a vehicle. Subscription, shared mobility, leasing and, of course, financing.
For this reason, it is more common in technical contexts such as international exhibitions Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas (USA) What they were Outsiders as Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai-Kia, BMW o la Japanese HondaAmong other things, these events are now being chosen to present technological innovations and their future models.
So, this year's edition of CES isn't just about industry-specific brands LG, Samsung or SonyBut they were joined by automotive representatives who showcased advances in technology, from car manufacturers to parts suppliers such as Bosch, Magna, Visteon or Valeo.
The automobile brand that made the most important announcement of this edition of CES was Honda as it unveiled two concept cars (Salon y Space-HubTheir new foray into electric mobility will begin with the introduction of a global electric car produced in North America in 2026. In addition, the directors of the Japanese company met with Canadian politicians and used the event to negotiate the construction of an electric vehicle plant in that country with an investment of around 13,000 million euros.
Chairman and CEO of Honda, Toshihiro MibeEXPANSIÓN indicated to the European press, after the first electric of the new generation, more will come based on the same platform and confirmed that in 2040, 100% of its global sales will correspond to models without models. emissions.
Kia made a big announcement at the tech show, showcasing five new Comment Cars from the PBV business platform (Multipurpose Vehicles), which adds additional business volume by selling VTC professionals, last-mile delivery or customizable models. distribution.
Betting on AI
For Volkswagen, its participation in CES was not linked to the presentation of a new vehicle, but rather to help announce its merger. chatbotChatGPT Based on artificial intelligence, it integrates with your voice assistant. This function is available on electric models ID7, ID5, ID4 and ID3 and also in Passat, Tiguan and Golf..
On the software side, HyundaiIt revealed its future vision based on a hydrogen energy ecosystem and its strategy linked to software and artificial intelligence.
Therefore, the Asian group plans to consume three million tons of hydrogen per year until 2035, and presented its SDx strategy, which will redefine vehicles, fleets and transport systems through software and artificial intelligence.
The BMW CES is another one of those automobile brands that don't want to miss the tech event. Signature Munich It took the opportunity to unveil a new digital experience in its vehicles based on artificial intelligence and augmented reality. A similar approach was adopted by its rival Mercedes-Benz, which incorporated artificial intelligence into its on-board virtual assistant.
However, it wasn't just the car brands that presented technological innovations at the 2024 CES, some tech companies also showed off innovations in the field of mobility. This is the case with Sony, which maintains a partnership with Honda (Sony Honda Mobility), which demonstrated CommentHe is deadIts production version will arrive in 2025, while LG has announced and showcased news based on software-limited vehicles Concept car Innovative.
